List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 156 explained

Location:Washington, D.C.
Type:Presidential nomination with Senate confirmation
Authority:Constitution of the United States, Art. III, §1
Terms:life tenure, subject to impeachment and removal
Positions:9 (by statute)

This is a list of cases reported in volume 156 of United States Reports, decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1895.

Justices of the Supreme Court at the time of volume 156 U.S.

See also: List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.

See also: List of United States Supreme Court justices by time in office.

See also: List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States by court composition.

The Supreme Court is established by Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States, which says: "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court . . .". The size of the Court is not specified; the Constitution leaves it to Congress to set the number of justices. Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 Congress originally fixed the number of justices at six (one chief justice and five associate justices).[1] Since 1789 Congress has varied the size of the Court from six to seven, nine, ten, and back to nine justices (always including one chief justice).

When the cases in volume 156 were decided the Court comprised the following nine members:

PortraitJusticeOfficeHome StateSucceededDate confirmed by the Senate
(Vote)
Tenure on Supreme Court
Melville FullerChief JusticeIllinoisMorrison Waite
(41–20)


July 4, 1910
(Died)
Stephen Johnson FieldAssociate JusticeCalifornianewly created seat
(Acclamation)


December 1, 1897
(Retired)
John Marshall HarlanAssociate JusticeKentuckyDavid Davis
(Acclamation)


October 14, 1911
(Died)
Horace GrayAssociate JusticeMassachusettsNathan Clifford
(51–5)


September 15, 1902
(Died)
David Josiah BrewerAssociate JusticeKansasStanley Matthews
(53–11)


March 28, 1910
(Died)
Henry Billings BrownAssociate JusticeMichiganSamuel Freeman Miller
(Acclamation)


May 28, 1906
(Retired)
George Shiras Jr.Associate JusticePennsylvaniaJoseph P. Bradley
(Acclamation)


February 23, 1903
(Retired)
Howell Edmunds JacksonAssociate JusticeTennesseeLucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar
(Acclamation)


August 8, 1895
(Died)
Edward Douglass WhiteAssociate JusticeLouisianaSamuel Blatchford
(Acclamation)


December 18, 1910
(Continued as chief justice)

Notable Cases in 156 U.S.

United States v. E.C. Knight Co.

United States v. E.C. Knight Co., 156 U.S. 1 (1895), also known as the "Sugar Trust Case," is an antitrust decision that severely limited the federal government's power to pursue antitrust actions under the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Supreme Court held that Congress could not regulate manufacturing, thus giving state governments the sole power to take legal action against manufacturing monopolies. The case has never been overruled, but in Swift & Co. v. United States and subsequent cases the Court has held that Congress can regulate manufacturing when it affects interstate commerce.

Sparf v. United States

Sparf v. United States, 156 U.S. 51 (1895), is a criminal law decision by the Supreme Court. The Court held that if one of two persons accused of having together committed the crime of murder makes a voluntary confession in the presence of the other, without threat or coercion, then the confession is admissible in evidence against both. In addition, the Court clarified several questions relating to the duty of federal criminal juries, and of federal courts when instructing them.

Coffin v. United States

In Coffin v. United States, 156 U.S. 432 (1895), the Supreme Court confirmed the presumption of innocence of persons accused of crimes.

Citation style

See also: United States district court.

See also: United States court of appeals.

See also: United States federal courts. Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 the federal court structure at the time comprised District Courts, which had general trial jurisdiction; Circuit Courts, which had mixed trial and appellate (from the US District Courts) jurisdiction; and the United States Supreme Court, which had appellate jurisdiction over the federal District and Circuit courts—and for certain issues over state courts. The Supreme Court also had limited original jurisdiction (i.e., in which cases could be filed directly with the Supreme Court without first having been heard by a lower federal or state court). There were one or more federal District Courts and/or Circuit Courts in each state, territory, or other geographical region.

The Judiciary Act of 1891 created the United States Courts of Appeals and reassigned the jurisdiction of most routine appeals from the district and circuit courts to these appellate courts. The Act created nine new courts that were originally known as the "United States circuit courts of appeals." The new courts had jurisdiction over most appeals of lower court decisions. The Supreme Court could review either legal issues that a court of appeals certified or decisions of court of appeals by writ of certiorari.

Bluebook citation style is used for case names, citations, and jurisdictions.

List of cases in volume 156 U.S.

See also: Fuller Court.

Case NamePage & yearOpinion of the CourtConcurring opinion(s)Dissenting opinion(s)Lower CourtDisposition
United States v. E.C. Knight Co.1 (1895)FullernoneHarlan3d Cir.affirmed
Stuart v. City of Easton46 (1895)FullernonenoneC.C.E.D. Pa.reversed
Rouse v. Letcher47 (1895)Fullernonenone8th Cir.dismissed
Sparf v. United States51 (1895)HarlannoneBrewerC.C.N.D. Cal.multiple
In re Robertson183 (1895)FullernonenoneVa.dismissed
Dunbar v. United States185 (1895)BrewernonenoneD. Or.affirmed
Delaware et al. Co. v. Pennsylvania200 (1895)FullernonenonePa.reversed
Lazarus v. Phelps202 (1895)BrownnonenoneC.C.N.D. Tex.affirmed
In re Streep207 (1895)FullernonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.mandamus denied
Lindsay v. Burgess208 (1895)FullernonenoneC.C.E.D. Tenn.affirmed
Postal T.C. Co. v. City of Baltimore210 (1895)FullernonenoneMd.affirmed
In Re Chapman211 (1895)FullernonenoneSup. Ct. D.C.habeas corpus denied
McGahan v. Bank of Rondout218 (1895)FullernonenoneC.C.D.S.C.affirmed
Mattox v. United States237 (1895)BrownnoneShirasD. Kan.affirmed
Roller Mill Patent261 (1895)BrownnonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.affirmed
Andrews v. Swartz272 (1895)HarlannonenoneC.C.D.N.J.affirmed
Hudson v. Parker277 (1895)GraynoneBrewerW.D. Ark.mandamus granted
Emert v. Missouri296 (1895)GraynonenoneMo.affirmed
In re Lehigh M. & M. Co.322 (1895)FullernonenoneC.C.W.D. Va.mandamus denied
Brown v. Webster328 (1895)WhitenonenoneC.C.D. Neb.affirmed
Bank of Rondout v. Smith330 (1895)FullernonenoneC.C.D.S.C.dismissed
Connell v. Smiley335 (1895)FullernonenoneC.C.D. Neb.affirmed
Palmer v. Village of Corning342 (1895)WhitenonenoneC.C.N.D.N.Y.affirmed
Maricopa & P.R.R. Co. v. Arizona347 (1895)WhitenonenoneSup. Ct. Terr. Ariz.affirmed
United States ex rel. Siegel v. Thoman353 (1895)WhitenonenoneC.C.E.D. La.affirmed
Waldron v. Waldron361 (1895)WhitenonenoneC.C.N.D. Ill.reversed
Winter v. City of Montgomery385 (1895)FullernonenoneAla.dismissed
Illinois C.R.R. Co. v. Brown386 (1895)FullernonenoneC.C.W.D. Tenn.dismissed
Hays v. Steiger387 (1895)FieldnonenoneCal.affirmed
Mather v. Rillston391 (1895)FieldnonenoneC.C.W.D. Mich.affirmed
Cunningham v. Mason & B.R.R. Co.400 (1895)WhitenonenoneC.C.S.D. Ga.affirmed
Batchelor v. United States426 (1895)GraynonenoneC.C.D. Mont.reversed
Coffin v. United States432 (1895)WhitenonenoneD. Ind.reversed
Bannon v. United States464 (1895)BrownnonenoneD. Or.affirmed
Bell S. & C.M. Co. v. First Nat'l Bank470 (1895)FieldnonenoneSup. Ct. Terr. Mont.affirmed
St. Louis et al. Ry. Co. v. Missouri ex rel. Merriam478 (1895)ShirasnonenoneMo.dismissed
Lindsay v. First Nat'l Bank485 (1895)ShirasnonenoneC.C.W.D. La.reversed
Carr v. Fife494 (1895)ShirasnonenoneC.C.D. Wash.affirmed
National C.R. Co. v. Boston C.I.R. Co.502 (1895)BrownnonenoneC.C.D. Mass.reversed
Goldey v. Morning News518 (1895)GraynonenoneC.C.E.D.N.Y.affirmed
Evers v. Watson527 (1895)BrownnonenoneC.C.N.D. Miss.affirmed
Ard v. Brandon 537 (1895)BrewernonenoneKan.reversed
Maddox v. Burnham544 (1895)BrewernonenoneKan.affirmed
Wood v. Beach548 (1895)BrewernonenoneKan.affirmed
United States v. Berdan F. Mfg. Co.552 (1895)BrewernonenoneCt. Cl.affirmed
Corinne Mill C. & S. Co. v. Johnson574 (1895)BrewernonenoneSup. Ct. Terr. Utahaffirmed
Pittsburgh & S.C. Co. v. Bates577 (1895)FieldnonenoneLa.affirmed
Pittsburgh & S.C. Co. v. Louisiana590 (1895)FieldnonenoneLa.affirmed
Saltonstall v. Weibusch601 (1895)BrownnonenoneC.C.D. Mass.reversed
Grimm v. United States604 (1895)BrewernonenoneE.D. Mo.affirmed
Black Diamond C.M. Co. v. Excelsior C. Co.611 (1895)BrownnonenoneC.C.N.D. Cal.reversed
Johnson v. Atlantic et al. Co.618 (1895)ShirasnonenoneC.C.N.D. Fla.affirmed
St. Louis et al. Ry. Co. v. Gill649 (1895)ShirasnonenoneArk.affirmed
Norfolk & W.R.R. Co. v. Pendleton667 (1895)ShirasnonenoneVa.affirmed
Fox v. Haarstick674 (1895)ShirasnonenoneSup. Ct. Terr. Utahaffirmed
Davis v. Wakelee680 (1895)BrownnonenoneC.C.S.D.N.Y.affirmed
Citizens' S. & L. Ass'n v. Perry Cnty.692 (1895)HarlannonenoneC.C.S.D. Ill.reversed

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Supreme Court Research Guide . 7 April 2021 . Georgetown Law Library.